London, ON (August 25th, 2017) – The 20th annual CJGA Mizuno National Championship came to a close this afternoon after an amazing week of golf throughout all the divisions. Except for light rainfall during the first round, the weather was exceptional all week which helped produce great scoring conditions. With the cooperative staff at Greenhills Golf Club and the many members that volunteered helped the event run smoothly throughout the week. There were some low scores across every division and the competition was very high.

Junior Boys U19

Leading wire to wire this week to clinch the Junior Boys division at the CJGA Mizuno National Championship was North Bay’s own Ryan Neil after he had tournament rounds of 73-66-68-79-286. Neil entered the final round with a comfortable lead after shooting in the sixties during round two and three. Despite shooting a final round 79 which started off with a bogey on number one, Neil was able to maintain his lead and composure which showed when he made a birdie after back to back double bogeys on the back nine.

“It feels good, good to get the job done, I obviously didn’t play my best today but I had a lot of good stuff throughout the week which was great.” commented Neil in a post round interview. Ryan was feeling the pressure of entering the final round of a national championship with the lead as he found himself nervous on the first tee, “I normally don’t get that nervous but for some reason out there today I was feeling it which probably lead to the high score but I was happy to pull through in the end.”

Finishing runner up in the Junior Boys division was Brendan Dunphy of Whitby, ON. Dunphy was able to shoot the low round of the day in the division after his final round 70 which gave him a tournament total of 292. This is Dunphy’s second runner up in CJGA major championships this season as he finished second at the PING Match Play Championship earlier this season.

Junior Girls U19

Tiana Cruz of Richmond Hill, ON was crowned the 2017 Junior Girls CJGA Mizuno National Champion this week after great rounds of 77-80-73-72-324. Cruz built momentum and confidence heading into the Mizuno National Championship after winning the CJGA Golfweek Invitational a few weeks earlier. Her round was highlighted with a clutch par save as she chipped in from a bunker.

When asked to describe in one word how she was feeling after winning this afternoon, Cruz’s reply was “Excited,” she continued on to say “I don’t even know how to describe the feeling of winning, this win ranks right up as one of my top wins.” Cruz looks to continue her good form entering her last two tournaments of the season at the Larry Ungerman Cup and the David Hearn Championship.

Finishing in second place in the division from Brampton, ON was Vaijayanti Bharkhada. Bharkhada had tournament scores of 87-75-81-81-324. Her second round score of 75 was the division low round on Wednesday.

Bantam Boys U15

Jordan Dumont from Blainville, QC was victorious in a very competitive Bantam Boys field at the CJGA Mizuno National Championship at Greenhills Golf Club this past week. Dumont posted scores of 79-77-78-73-307 to win by two strokes. Jordan entered the day one shot back of the lead and was able to come out with the victory by handling the pressure of being one up standing on the eighteenth tee.

Dumont was feeling happy after winning the Mizuno National Championship as it is his top win of the season. Jordan was able to over come the one shot deficit to win by two strokes by shooting his personal low round of the tournament in the final round.

Tommy McKenzie from Calgary, AB finished as the runner up in the Bantam Boys division after a final round 75. McKenzie was one stroke behind the leader entering the final round and had a great battle with Dumont right until the final hole. “I was feeling nervous on the first tee, but my goal was to shoot as close to even par as I could today.” commented McKenzie in a post round interview.

Bantam Girls U15

Sarah Gallagher from Burlington, ON was able to raise the Bantam Girls division championship trophy on Friday afternoon after a final round 82. Gallagher ended the tournament with a four day total of 86-79-83-82-330 which gave her a seven shot victory margin over second place. Her second round 79 was the lowest score posted in the division during the championship.

Gallagher’s game plan entering today was to maintain or increase her lead over the field and she was able to execute it to perfection out on the golf course today. Sarah was very pleased with winning her first ever CJGA National Championship, “Its definitely ranked as my highest win with the CJGA.” Making a birdie on seventeen gave her the extra confidence boost coming down eighteen to secure her victory.

Runner up in the Bantam Girls division from Milton, ON was Rozlyn Rooke. Rooke was able to match Gallagher’s final round 82 to bring her tournament total score to 85-86-84-82-337.

About the CJGA Mizuno National Junior Golf Championship

Mizuno Canada Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mizuno Corporation, one of the largest specialty sporting goods manufacturers in the world. Mizuno Canada Ltd. manufactures and distributes golf, baseball, softball, running, rugby and volleyball equipment, apparel, and footwear for Canada. Mizuno Canada Ltd. is based in Mississauga, Ontario. For more information please visit www.mizuno.com or visit us on Facebook at Mizuno Golf North America and on Twitter @Golf_Mizuno

About the Canadian Junior Golf Association

The Canadian Junior Golf Association (CJGA) is a “registered Canadian amateur athletic association” (RCAAA) not-for-profit registered federally with Revenue Canada. Currently in its 25th year, the CJGA is dedicated to providing Canada’s junior golfers with the necessary skills and knowledge required to lay a foundation for a future in competitive golf.

Through its six-stage competitive development program that focuses on tournaments, clinics, international competitions, and mentoring programs with PGA Tour professionals, the CJGA introduces the game to juniors as young as five and offers competitive multi-day events for the more advanced golfer. The CJGA acts as a feeder system to provincial and national competitions, collegiate and university golf, as well as professional and recreational golf. For more information, please visit www.cjga.com.

The Canadian Junior Golf Association is generously supported by its National Partner, Freedom 55 Financial, which provides financial security advice and planning for Canadians.

For Additional Information:
Trevor Vander Glas
Communications and Media Assistant
1.877.508.1069
trevor.vander.glas@cjga.com